Brick-press



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. J. KULAGE.

BRICK PRESS.

No. 484,896. Patented 001;. 25, 1892..

an un 1%wm'ea TM: NORRIS PETERS o0, wovauwou WASHINGTOhL n. a

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. J. KULAGE.

BRIGK PRESS. No. 484,896.

Patented Oct. 25, 1892.

(N o Model.) J J KULAGB 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

BRICK PRESS.

No. 484,896. Patented Oct. 25, 1892.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. J. KULAGE. BRICK PRESS.

No. 484,896. Patented Oct. 25, 1892.

War/"(r1 a o its? m "UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. KULAGE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BRICK-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 484,896, dated October 25, 1892.

Application filed January 9, 1891. Serial No. 377,301. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH J. KULAGE, of St. Louis, Missouri,have made a new and useful Improvement in Presses, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present improved machine is adapted for pressing various substances for various purposes into various forms. It is especially adapted for forming bricks and it is in connection with a brick-machine that it is illustrated.

The present improved machine, so far as its general construction is concerned and also some of its details, resembles the construction shown in Letters Patent No. 309,549, granted to me December 23,1884, for an improvement in brick-machines-that is, the power is communicated to a pair of gear-wheels, which are journaled side by side and united by means of awrist-pin, from which a pitman leads and which at its forward end is connected with the cross-head working in slides and jointed to links, forming thereby a toggle construction, which in turn operates a pair of levers, with which the upper and lower plungers are respectively connected.

The improvement relates to the cross-head and the means for controlling its movement, whereby a simpler and easier-working construction is obtained and whereby the plungers can readily be adapted to operate at a higher or lower level in and with reference to the molds, as may be desired.

The improvement also has reference to the means for transmitting the motion of the lower lever to the lower plungers, all substantially as is hereinafter described and claimed, aided by the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the mproved machine, a portion of the framework being broken away; Fig. 2, the front end elevation of the machine, a portion of the lower lever being in section; Fig. 3, a plan of the machine; Fig. 4:, a detail upon an enlarged scale, being a vertical sectional view exhibiting the means for upholding the lower plungers; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the cross-heads and link and including the cross-head supports and the ends of the levers to which said links lead; Fig. 6, a vertical cross-section on the linev 6 6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a side elevation simila'rto that of Fig. 1, but showing a portion only of the construction. The View is introduced more especially to illustrate a modified means for supporting and guiding the cross-head and the parts therewith connected. Fig. Sis a View similar to that of Fig. 7, but exhibiting a further modification; and Fig. 9, a horizontal section on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8.

The views are not all upon the same scale.

The same letters of reference denote the same parts.

A A represent the gear-wheels, attached, respectively, to the shafts B B. The driving-shaft of the machine is shown at B It is provided with pinions, such as A which engage, respectively, with said gear-wheels.

C represents the framework of the machine. D represents the wrist-pin, which unites the wheels A A, and E represents the pitman, which connects the cross-head F with the wrist-pin. I 1' respectively represent the upper and lower levers, which are journaled in the framework at i 2", respectively, and at their front ends respectively connected with the upper and lower plungers J J. L represents the mold-frame, and M the charger.

The parts thus far described are constructed andoperated substantially as in the construction above referred to, saving as modified by the improved features now under consideration.

In the place of connecting the pitman and the links H H, which unite the cross-head withthe levers, with the cross-head at three different points, respectively, thereon, the cross-head is in the form, substantially, of a pin and the links and pitman are jointed together by-means thereofthat is, the pitman is arranged centrally, and the links are forked to successively include the pitman, and the parts are united by passing the pin F through the links and pitman, which at the ends thereof are suitably perforated to receive the pin, substantially as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The upper link I-I includes the pitman E and the lower link includes the upper link; but, if desired, the parts may be otherwise relatively arranged, so long as they all turn upon .so that it shall keep in place, and to this end it may be supported upon stationary guides or upon movable ones, such as the radiusrods G G, which are pivoted at g g and at their upper ends adapted to uphold thecross-head, which is extended sufficiently to engage in the radius-rods, as shown. The cross-head is also preferably extended still farther and provided with friction-rollers K K, which are of service at times when the cross-head does not depend wholly upon the radius-rods for its support. A leading feature of the improvement, however, is the provision whereby whatever is formed in the molds can be pressed at a high er or lower level therein. If the bricks or other objects formed in the molds are always pressed at the same level therein, the molds are unequally worn. It is desirable to obviate this difficultygand it is accomplished by varying the level at which what might be termed the center of the pressing is effected, pressing the object sometimes lower and sometimes higher in the molds. There are other reasons,

also, which render it desirable to be ableto alter the level at which the-forms arepressed. This desired end is accomplished by controlling the position of the cross-head, especially at the time of the completion of the pressing, and this in turn is accomplished making the part or parts which support the crosshea'd' vertically adj usta'bl'e: Thisican bedone in various ways. One method is shown in Fig. 1. The cross-head at each end thereof worksin a guide'N. Thisguide is inthe-form substantially of a slotted frame, whose rear end 01. by means of the slot and pin or any equivalent construction 71' can be raised or lowered within certain limits adapted tothe purpose in'view and which at itsforward end' 11. is pivoted toprovide for the described adjustment of the rear end of the guide. By raising said guide at its rear'endthe center of the pressing islowered-in themold'an'd' by lowering said guide at itsrear end the'center' of the pressing. is raised in the mold: An other'feature of this guide is its inclinatiom. the forward end of the guide being inclined-' downward, substantially as shown. By this arrangement of theguide the cross-head inopening the plungers apart fromeach other is moved to a lower level, and in consequence of this the upper plunger iselevated higher above the molds and the lower pl'ungersare arrested at a higher level in: the molds than when the cross-head is moved" horizontally in its movement. Sucha relativ'earrangement of the plungers when'openedapart from each other is sometimes desirable, as-thereby more room is provided abovethe moldsat the'time of ejecting the forms from the molds and re charging. the molds. This last-described feature of the construction is carried out more fully by making the forwardend of theguide vertically adj usta-ble,-, as by means'of the pinand-slot construction n substantially as shown. By lowering the guideat its forward end the upper plunger is raised higher, and by raising the guide'at itsforward end the: up per plunger is not raised as high. These doscribed resultscan be obtained by equivalent means-for instance, the means exhibited in Figs. 7, 8, and 9. A portion only is shown in Fig. 7. As there shown the radius-rod G is adapted to be raised and lowered by means of 1ining-plates'such' as shown at g'-inserted beneath the bearing 9 of the radiusrod. By withdrawing the plate the radius rod and cross-head are lowered, and by inserting the plate or additional plates the radius-rod and cross-head are raised and the centerof' pressing the molds is accordingly varied. The radius-rods G G, especially when arranged as in Fig. 7, also become the equivalent of the inclined feature of the guides N in Fig. 1-.

In Figs. 8 and 9 the radius-rods are shown, but with additional features. 0, Fig. 8, represents one of the pair of bearings at opposite sides, respectively, the machine and supported upon its framework, whichserve at the time of the final pressure in the molds to uphold the cross-head at a: higherlevel than when supported by the radius-rods. As the radius-rods are swung backward toward the completion of the pressing the cross-head, preferably by means; of its friction=rollers, rides upon the bearings O, and is thereby raised so as not torestupon the radius-rods, and the radius-rods are slotted at g to permit of the described upwardmovement of the cross-head. Theother additional feature (exhibited in Figs. 8 audit)" in the longitudinal horizontal adjustment of the radius-rods'is that the lower end thereof can be pivoted nearerto or farther from the plane in which the press-plungersoperate. By shiftingsaid pivotsforward in the pressthe center of the .pressing at thetime of thefinal pressure is raised in the molds,.and by shifting saidpivotsbackward in the machine the center of the-pressing: is loweredin the molds. The described shifting. of thepi-vots is conveniently provided forby means of the series 9 of bolt-holes in the framework of the machine. .The bearing 9 can be bolted to the framework at any point along. saidseries of holes. The upper lever I isconnected with the upper plunger, as in the former construction referred to; The lower lever I is connected with the lowerplunger.lin a modified' manner. In place of being jointed to said lower plunger the said lever at t is recessedto receive the foot 19 of a" toggle P,.which' rests loosely in ,said recess-in thelever and which is adapted i to workvertically in the guide p in-the framework onthe machine and at its-upper end to supportthe lower plunger. When theforward end 1l 'of the lever I"is lowered, thetoggle :drops'with the lever end and thelower plunsger is lowered, and when the lever and is raised it li-ftsthe' toggle, which in turn ele- ;vatesthe lower plunger.

I. claim- 1-. The'combination-of the cross-head, links, pitman, levers, and an adjustable guide for said cross-head, said guide being'a separate part from said cross-head, links, and pitman, substantially. as described.

2. In a press having upper and lower plungers and molds, as described, the combination of the cross-head and its guide, the said guide being vertically adjustable at its rearward end, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a press having upper and lower plungers and molds, as described, the combination of the cross-head and its guide, said guide being vertically adjustable at its forward end, substantially as described- V 4. In a press having upper and lower plungers and molds, as described, the combination of the cross-head and its guide, said guide being higher at its rearward end that at its forward end and being vertically adjustable at said rearward end, substantially as described.

5. In a press having upper and lower plungers and molds, as described, the combination of the cross-head and its guide, said guide being higher at its rearward end than at its forward end and being vertically adjustable at said forward end, substantially as described.

6. In a press having upper and lower plungers and molds, as described, the combination of the cross-head and its guide, said guide being higher at its rearward end than at its for- GEo. W. FISHER, J r., O. D. MOODY. 

